A holiday party in california, turning into a nightmare when people began plunging into the ice beneath. Here's abc's ron claiborne now. Reporter: It began when one man accidentally slipped off the sheet of ice and into the lake. The people you see in this video are members of a sledding excursion that goes terribly wrong. It went from cheering to all of a sudden -- to an unbelievable amount of panic and chaos. Reporter: One man goes to the ice's edge to try to help, but then he falls in. And then, one would-be rescuer after another tries to help only to plunge into the lake themselves in a chain reaction. A crowd gathers on shore. Frantically screaming for help. Call 911! Reporter: Five minutes after the first man went in, nearly a dozen of people are in the water as others throw ropes and inner tubes to no luck. Micky herman shot this video, you can hear him calling for someone to bring a hope. It was hard to watch. Reporter: Finally, nine harrowing minutes into this ordeal on ice, everyone somehow manages to scramble out. Amazingly, this escapade on ice ended happily, everyone is just fine. Ron claiborne, abc news, new york.

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